NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam says he was both “surprised” and “disappointed” that school boards in Hamilton and six nearby counties sued the state over state education funding one day after he met with superintendents of Tennessee’s four largest systems.
“Sure I was surprised from the discussion we had had,” Haslam told reporters earlier today. “And disappointed. Because I don’t think that’s how you solve problems. Because we really are making an effort to address that situation.”
Haslam said “nobody can say we had a budget that ignored education. We put $144 million in this year’s budget. And if you’ve been around the state budget and realize how little new money there is to use, that’s a significant commitment.”